New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning on the sidelines in the second quarter of a loss to the Cincinnati Bengals at Paul Brown Stadium. / Andrew Weber, US Presswire

by Mike Garafolo, USA TODAY Sports

by Mike Garafolo, USA TODAY Sports

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. â?? Eli Manning's stated goal before the New York Giants' bye week was to get away from his job, to not even pick up a football or think about a pass he's completed, missed or one he plans on throwing anytime soon.

Each night, Manning climbed into bed around 9 p.m. â?? a few hours earlier than his in-season routine usually allows â?? and either fell asleep or clicked on the most non-sports programming he could find.

"I watched Road House," Manning said while standing by his locker this week, giggling an un-Eli-like giggle. "A little Patrick Swayze. That was on."

It's among the most mindless of movies ever made, with Swayze as the "cooler" cleaning up the Double Deuce bar in Jasper, Mo., one broken pool cue at a time, proclaiming "Pain don't hurt," and literally ripping a rival's throat out.

"My wife had never seen that," Manning said, still laughing. "I don't think she's going to go and watch it again. I like Road House. It's a classic."

That's the kind of week the Giants needed after two consecutive losses heading into their bye week, including a 31-13 blowout to the Cincinnati Bengals. The defending Super Bowl champs seem to hit this little November speed bump every year (they're 13-20 in the month under coach Tom Coughlin), but the two Lombardi Trophies in the past four seasons did little to quell the panic among Giants fans.

Manning was struggling, firing wide of receivers he usually hits right in the hands. Outside observers said he had a tired arm, but Manning has said they were as off the mark as any of his four interceptions in the past three games.

So with the extra week off â?? the latest of any bye weeks in the NFL this season â?? Manning decided to hit the reset button. More than he's ever done in his previous eight byes, he got away from it all and opted for a quiet few days in Mississippi with his wife and daughter instead of, say, attending the Ole Miss-LSU game and dealing with the attention that would come with it.

Sunday's game against the Green Bay Packers will reveal whether it was the proper strategy and whether Manning and his targets can get their mojo back.

"He's excited, I can tell you that. He's excited about playing," Coughlin said. "He's looking at this as if it's a start to a new season. That, perhaps, is the way he's approached all games after the bye."

SHARP OFF THE BYE ... USUALLY

Whatever his approach, it's worked of late.

Coming off a bye the past four years, Manning has thrown for an average of 322.5 yards per game, with a 68.1% completion rate, 10 touchdowns and only one interception.

That's the good news for the Giants, especially since Manning has been slumping, even if Coughlin says, "This isn't baseball." Coincidentally, the other day, Manning was trying to convince his teammates he'd played baseball in high school.

"I need proof. I need to see him running the bases or something," defensive captain Justin Tuck said. "Have you seen him run? Can you picture him running the bases?"

No, and we can't picture him doing something out of the norm to bust a slump, either.

"We'll be in the locker room, like, 'He's going to do something different. Let's see if he puts his left shoe on first today. Nah, still the right one,' " Tuck said. "Eight years, nothing different."

With all of the criticism Manning received early in his career, it'll take more than three games in a row without a touchdown (the first time that's happened since his rookie year of 2004) to shake him, apparently.

"I think he has no short-term memory," said second-year cornerback Prince Amukamara, who observes Manning's stoicism from a few lockers away. "Or he's just been in the league for a while, so it's just natural to him to just always be positive and confident."

GETTING ON THE SAME PAGE

But even the things that are supposed to come naturally need some work.

That's precisely what the Giants' quarterbacks, receivers and coaches did this week by getting back to working on their timing and chemistry while running basic routes during individual drills.

"Just regular routes we would run without having to game-plan anybody, things you wouldn't even think about calling (in a game)," backup quarterback David Carr said. "Just regular curl routes, regular flag routes or middle-read routes. Just the basics."

According to Carr, the Giants jumped right into more complex routes and combinations included in the game plan during practice in recent weeks. They believe that's been part of the issue on Sundays when Manning has fired high and wide of Victor Cruz, a target he's often hit in stride since Cruz's emergence last season.

"We've got to make sure this stuff is good before we go on to the complicated stuff," Carr said. "Now we've gotten back to that stuff and it's helped."

As for Manning's arm, there have been no reported problems in practice.

"I see a little pop, a little zip, a little energy. He's got a little aggressiveness while he's throwing the football," said Cruz, who talked about seeing opportunities for big plays against Green Bay's secondary, which has allowed 38 passes of 20 yards or more. "He's making his reads, he's decisive and he's getting that ball in there."

ELI? VACATION? 'NOT BUYING IT!'

By all reports, the early returns have been positive. Manning's mind-clearing plan has worked.

Unless, of course, you don't believe the story.

"Not buying it. Not buying it," Carr said. "Maybe he had some Cheetos, but he wasn't eating Cheetos and watching TV. He was watching the Packers."

No, Manning said he ate chips and salsa while watching the early games and big brother Peyton beat the San Diego Chargers on Sunday. And at night, he was watching Road House.

"That's a great movie," Carr said, "but it's only an hour and a half, soâ?¦"

Carr continued, "I've known him for four years, and if that guy has a free second, he's talking to a receiver or in the meeting room. He had a free week, so I have a hard time believing he didn't see a Packers play."

Whatever the method, the Giants won't care. Not as long as the results against upcoming opponents who were a combined 36-24 entering Week 12 are back to what they're used to getting from the two-time Super Bowl MVP.

"You're ready to go," Manning said. "We've got these six games, it should be a fun run. The end of the season always comes down to how you performed during this stage, and we're in a good spot and we're excited about it."